Ready To Run?

Chapter 11

(Better Man By Taylor Swift)

Karl's Pov

"Honestly, I didn't know I would be making a speech. So this is all thrown together last minute." Cora chuckled into the microphone, looking around the room at everyone.

"I'm Cora, in case anyone doesn't know. I'm Cara's sister. I know... It got confusing for us too." Everyone laughed, and Cora smiled softly, looking over at the table her sister was sitting at.

She's actually here.

I can't believe it. All of my friends are staring at me while I stare at her. She looked so beautiful. She now had tattoo's down her arm, she had a nose piercing. She grew. She's still not that tall, but she grew nonetheless.

"I remember the first time I heard about Chandler. My sister's face lit up like a kid on Christmas Day. She talked about him for hours that night."

She was standing there and I couldn't breathe at all. My heart is broken and she's acting like nothing happened. She's acting like she doesn't care, and all I want to do is run up to her and tell her I love her. I want to tell her I miss her.

"Chandler became a part of our family. My parents finally got the son that they always wanted. I got an older brother figure that picked me up off of the bathroom floor when shit got rough." She closed her eyes as she spoke, and I knew she was talking about that night.

I want to hold her in my arms, I want to kiss her. I want Cora. I want to apologize. I want everything to be okay again. That's all I've wanted. That's all I've ever wanted since she showed up on my doorstep that day and broke everything off.

"The first time I brought someone home." She looked over at me, and everyone's stares were on me.

"Chandler made sure to give him the older brother speech. Cara didn't fall short behind to give him that too. I remember the look on Chandler's face when he noticed that I was seeing one of his best friends." She didn't break eye contact with me as she spoke, and it made me crazy.

"We became a group of friends. Chandler and Cara set a model of what I wanted that relationship to be. They powered through everything. They were a strong ass couple."

"Language!" John yelled, causing everyone to laugh.

"Sorry Dad." She smiled sheepishly, looking at him while he just nodded his head.

"Cara and Chandler had the love that you see in movies. To their moments when they took me out with them because they didn't want me to be alone, when Cara would get home from a date and tell me all about it, when they showed up on my doorstep and told me they were engaged." Cora's eyes started to swell up with tears as she looked over at her sister.

"They did everything to make me feel included, and they never stopped being the couple they were, in front of me. I got to see true love first hand." Cara stood up, and rushed over to her sister, crying into her shoulder.

"Cara always tried to protect me from life. From boys. From heartbreak. Chandler always tried to protect me from failure. He never wanted me to fail." He walked up and joined them, putting his arms around both of them.

"Chandler and Cara have done everything in their power to push through things, for each other. Everything they have done, brought them to this moment." I wanted to go up there with them. I wanted to be that group of four again.

"There were always four of us together." She looked up at me, and gave me a sad smile.

"Come here." She waved me up and I felt my heart stop. I slowly rose from my seat, and everyone looked at me.

"Karl, what are you doing?" Sapnap asked, and I just ignored him. I stood next to Chandler, and looked around at the room before setting my eyes back on Cora.

"It was always us four against the world. And now it's you two against the world." Cora moved out of their reach and joined me.

"And no matter how much things are falling apart-"

"We will always show up." I cut her off, leaning down to the microphone to talk.

"Give it up for the Hallows!" Cora yelled, as Chandler and Cara hugged, both crying.

Cora looked up at me, tears filling her eyes, before we both looked back at them. We knew we would be here at one moment in our lives. We just always thought we would be at this moment together.

"Come here." I grabbed her arm, pulling her in for a hug. She wrapped her arms around me, like no time had elapsed, and cried into my chest. Time literally stopped. I couldn't hear anyone, I couldn't see anyone. It was just her and I, in this moment, together.

Chandler and Cara wrapped their arms around us, squishing us all together while everyone clapped.

We let go of each other, and I walked back to my seat, sitting down, as Cara started to dance with their father.

"So what's that about?" Sap said, turning to me with a knowing smile.

"I know another Punz and Emerald when I see it." Sap spoke with laughter bubbling out of his mouth as I rolled my eyes.

"Leave me alone." I said, looking over at Cora who was at the table next to us.

"Wait! Holy Shit! Cora!" Sapnap quietly yelled and I wanted to kill him. I wanted to turn to face him, take this knife in front of me, and fucking stab him.

Cora walked over quietly, and sat down next to Sapnap so that she wasn't in the way of the camera man.

"What's up?" She asked, looking at him. Her eyes flicked to me, and I could see the pain, the fear, the sadness, even if she tried to cover it up. I could see it all.

"You were in Texas yesterday! You were Eryn's lawyer." I looked at Sapnap with a confused expression but he didn't care.

"Oh my god! I remember you now! How is she? Have you spoken with her? I haven't checked in- I probably should. Fuck, that makes me a shitty person that i haven't-" Cora rambled before looking up at both of us, and stopping.

"Sorry." She gave us a shy smile, her cheeks turning red.

"She's doing good. Noah asked her to be his girlfriend. Disgusting." Sapnap pretended to gag, which caused Cora to laugh.

"What about you? Any boyfriend?" Sapnap looked at me with a smirk and I wanted to reach out and grab the knife in front of me so bad.

"No boyfriend." Cora looked at me, and I felt my heart stop.

"Nice ring on your finger. You're engaged?" Sapnap looked at me with a smile once more, and Cora's face turned red.

"Not engaged. This- Um- Yeah, great job, Cora!" Cora groaned at her words, before looking down at the ring I gave her.

"You two are not good at hiding the glances you keep throwing at each other." Sapnap said, taking a sip of his drink.

A song came on. Harley's song, First Man.

"This is fucking Karma." I narrowed my eyes at him as he spit his drink out.

"Fuck." He groaned, listening to the song.

"Asshole." I threw a napkin at him, hitting him square in the face.

"Cora." Her Dad held his hand out for her, and she looked at him with a confused expression before taking it and smiling.

The dance floor was crowded now. Cara and Chandler were outside getting their pictures taken, and everyone else was in here.

And me...

I'm staring at Cora Davis, wishing that things were different.

1317 Words